Klotz is a family of

violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

makers. Members of the Klotz (or Kloz) family have made violins in

Mittenwald Mittenwald is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria. Geography Mittenwald is located approximately 16 kilometres to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It is situated in the Valley of the River Isar, ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

from the mid-17th century to the present. The Klotz family taught other families of the village the violin trade, and Mittenwald prospered and became well known for its violins. In ''A Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' 1900, the contributor Edward John Payne writes: "Nine-tenths of the violins which pass in the world as 'Stainers' were made by the Klotz family and their followers." In 1856, the Bavarian government founded a school in Mittenwald to continue the violin trade. Dictionaries of violin makers list more than 25 artisans by this name. Matthias I (1656–1743) founded the Mittenwald school of violin making after study with Giovanni Railich in

Padua Padua ( ; it, Padova ; vec, Pàdova) is a city and ''comune'' in Veneto, northern Italy. Padua is on the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice. It is the capital of the province of Padua. It is also the economic and communications hub of the ...

from 1672-1678,

Jacob Stainer Jacob Stainer (–1683) was the earliest and best known Austrian and Germanic luthier. His violins were sought after by famous 17th- and 18th-century musicians and composers including Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and . Stainer w ...

and

Nicolo Amati Nicola Amati, Nicolò Amati or Nicolao Amati (, ; 3 September 1596 – 12 April 1684) was an Italian master luthier from Cremona, Italy. Amati is one of the most well-known luthiers from the Casa Amati (House of Amati). He was the teacher of ...

of Cremona. In Cremona, Matthias excelled as Amati's assistant and was harassed by other jealous assistants. Later he returned to Mittenwald and coined his hometown with the name "Cremona of Tyrol".Henley, William, "Universal Dictionary of Violin and Bowmakers", vol 2, Amati Publishing, 1960, page 650 He has been criticized for exercising insufficient skill or care in the selection of his wood. Although he was the maker of several very excellent specimens...His two sons, Sebastian (born in 1675) and Georg (born c.1677), were also makers of violins and greatly surpassed their father in every way... Typical labels: * Mattias Klotz Geigenmacher zu Mittenwald an der Iser 1697 * Mathias Klotz Lauten und Geigenmacher in Mittenwald an der Iser Anno 1695 * Mathias Kloz Lautenmacher. A label of the famil

in Mittenwalt Anno 1725. Instruments by Sebastian Klotz, Sebastian I (1696–1768) are probably the most admired among the many existing examples by this family. Some instruments which have been identified as Sebastian's work bear his father's label. Typical labels: * Sebastian Klotz in Mittenwald an der Iser 1734 * Sebastian Kloz, in Mittenwald, an 1743 * Seb. G. Kloz in Mittenwald, 1732 Josef (1743–1819), son of Sebastian, worked in a manner similar to that of his father. The quality of their instruments varies enormously, and many inferior, unauthentic examples have labels bearing the Klotz name.

Translations

* Geigenmacher: violin maker * Lautenmacher: lute maker * ''See also Luthier''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Klotz (violin makers) German luthiers People from Garmisch-Partenkirchen (district) German families